Iowan’s Choose Romney In WHO-HD’s Cast Your Kernel Presidential Poll

Fair visitors dropped a kernel of corn in the Mason jar of their favorite Presidential candidate

A record 72,216 kernels of corn were cast during the 11 day Iowa State Fair

WHO-HD Channel 13, Des Moines’ NBC Affiliate, invited Iowa State Fair visitors to “Cast Your Kernel” for President. Each person who stopped was given one kernel of corn to place in the Mason jar of his or her favorite Presidential candidate. And the winner this year was the presumed Republican candidate for President, Mitt Romney, with 55% of the vote. A record 72,216 kernels were cast between 9 AM and 9PM during the 11 day run of the Iowa State Fair, August 9 to 19. That averages to about 9 kernels-per-minute!

“We’ve never seen so many people come out to cast their kernel,” says Channel 13 News Political Reporter Dave Price. “It was amazing! We heard so many passionate conversations from Iowans on whom they believe will be the best person to lead the country in the future. While we know the corn poll isn’t scientific, it has proven in the past to be a pretty reliable measure of the attitudes of Iowans at that time.”

In 2011, 40,267 kernels were cast with Republicans taking 60% of the vote and the President 40%. Michelle Bachmann lead Republicans with 26%. Rick Perry came in second with 23%. Mitt Romney tied for third with Ron Paul each with 15%.

The 2010 “Cast Your Kernel” poll focused on Iowa’s gubernatorial race. Culver lost to his Republican challenger, former 4-term Governor Terry Branstad, by 40 points, 70 to 30% with 37,573 total kernels.

In 2008, Barack Obama edged out John McCain 51 to 49% with 48,865 kernels cast.